Our story

Founding SANC: A Vision for Neurosurgical Training

On a cold winter day in November 2018, the Swedish-African Neurosurgical Collaboration (SANC) was founded at an open workshop during the Swedish Neurosurgical Association's annual meeting in Stockholm. The goal was clear: to establish an interprofessional collaboration with hospitals in Africa, training neurosurgeons in microsurgical techniques and improving perioperative care for neurosurgical patients.

A Long-Term Vision for
Sustainable Healthcare

SANC’s goal is to implement long-term interprofessional solutions that create lasting improvements in neurosurgical care while positively impacting other local healthcare services. By establishing a strong network in West Africa, we aim to expand and validate this model in other regions. Given the significant global shortage of neurosurgical care, the potential impact is immense. Furthermore, this collaborative initiative strengthens neurosurgery in Sweden by fostering unique cooperation between clinics and professionals, united by a common goal.

Building Networks:
The First Steps

SANC began with an exploratory phase, where board members traveled to four hospitals in West Africa (Ghana/Nigeria) to build networks and assess potential partners. This pilot region provided the foundation for sustainable collaboration.

The First Partnership: University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital
An initial collaboration was established with the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) in Enugu. The hospital had access to essential surgical resources, intensive care, and skilled local professionals. Political stability and logistical factors, such as an international airport, also made Enugu a suitable choice.

The First Mission: March 2019
SANC’s first volunteer mission took place in March 2019, with two neurosurgeons and four nurses traveling to Enugu. Over two weeks, they worked closely with the local team, providing daily neurosurgical nursing lectures. Approximately thirty nurses in the ward and intensive care unit completed a two-week training course.

Our board

Magnus Tisell — Chairman

  • I work as a neurosurgeon at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, specialising in paediatric neurosurgery, skull base surgery, and vascular neurosurgery. My work in Africa began as part of a Norwegian aid project in Malawi, where I still serve as a medical adviser for the Department of Global Health at Oslo University Hospital. Travelling to Malawi was both an incredible personal experience and a professional challenge beyond the ordinary. In Sweden, there was no equivalent initiative, but the immense need for neurosurgical support in many African countries was evident.

    After assessing interest both in Sweden and West Africa, I co-founded the volunteer organisation SANC together with Mats Ryttlefors and Davis Revesz. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity this project has given me to support and learn from colleagues in Africa. Equally rewarding is the unique collaboration among the Swedish SANC participants, who come from across the country and represent all professional groups involved in neurosurgical care.

Christian Brandt — Treasurer

  • I am a neurosurgeon at Lund University Hospital with a focus on spinal-neurosurgery, (tumors, trauma) and malignant intracranial tumors. My interest in global health and emergency care dates back to my time as a medical student and has remained a cornerstone of my career ever since. 

    I was involved in the establishment of SANC (Swedish African Neurosurgical Collaboration) and have become increasingly active in recent years. One of my passions is building multidisciplinary teams of professionals to prepare for and execute impactful missions. Since the early 2000s, I’ve been engaged in various aid projects across Africa, working in countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Gambia, Ghana and also Nepal and Mongolia. Together with my brother, I also run the organization “We Can All Contribute,” which aims to foster meaningful support and collaboration in underserved regions. 

    These experiences have been both deeply rewarding on a personal level and profoundly challenging on a professional level, pushing me to grow in ways I never imagined. Being part of SANC’s work is a privilege, and I am committed to contributing to the organization’s mission of fostering collaboration between African nations and Sweden. I believe this approach is essential for creating sustainable and impactful outcomes in global neurosurgery. 

Victoria Forrest — Secretary

  • I am an intensive care nurse at Akademiska University Hospital.

    I have worked in neuro-intensive care and emergency medicine for 20 years.

    I have been active in SANC since 2019 and have participated in missions in Ghana (2019) and Nigeria (2022).

  • I am a biomedical engineer and now a clinical healthcare facility planner at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. I have been involved in international health projects, primarily focused on neurology, since 2004. I am also active in a Canadian neurosurgical aid organisation.

    I have been part of SANC since 2019 and have had a long-standing interest in global volunteer work within the healthcare sector.

Anders Engström

  • I am a consultant neurosurgeon and associate professor with a focus on intracranial tumour surgery. I have been involved with SANC since 2017 and played an active role in the efforts that led to the organisation's founding in 2018.

    I participated in the first mission in Enugu, Nigeria, in 2019, and ahead of this mission, I secured the donation of a surgical microscope from Akademiska University Hospital to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu, Nigeria.

    I have been a board member of SANC since its founding.

Mats Ryttlefors 

Jimmy Sundblom

  • Neurosurgeon at Akademiska University Hospital, specialising in skull base and spinal surgery.

    Active in SANC since 2019. I have been interested in global health since my student days and have a particular passion for education. I love the challenges that come with SANC, and few things compare to building a team of diverse individuals and professions ahead of a mission!

Camilla Smedberg

  • I am an intensive care nurse at Karolinska University Hospital.

    I have worked in neurosurgery and neuro-intensive care for over 30 years, serving as an intensive care nurse, training leader, and manager.

    I have been involved with SANC since 2019, participating in three missions. I am also part of the SANC Nursing Network, where we organise online lectures with representatives from all our missions.

    I am driven by the unique teamwork within SANC, which continues on-site, where we focus on the entire care chain and the importance of all professions working and learning together.

  • Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, MBBS, FWACS, FICS, FACS, Cert (Harvard)

    Position in SANC: Pioneer African Representative to SANC Governing Board & Mission Strategist

    Duration of Service in SANC: 2018 till Date

    Institutional Affiliation: Neurosurgery Unit, College of Medicine University of Nigeria, Nsukka & University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla Enugu Nigeria

    Designation: Professor& Head of Neurosurgery UNTH Enugu

    Current Job:  Honorable Commissioner for Health, Abia State, Nigeria

    Country: Nigeria

    Role of African Representative to the Swedish African Neurosurgery Collaboration Board

    The Swedish African Neurosurgery Collaboration is a global neurosurgery partnership supporting neurosurgical care access and capacity development through volunteer education, equipment donation, education and research. SANC represents a salient answer to the widening access gap to high quality neurosurgical care and training in Africa, particularly sub Saharan Africa.  Volunteers to the SANC project dedicated African neurosurgeons and Swedish Healthcare professionals from all neurosurgical units in Sweden. SANC’s model of Global Neurosurgery is represented by the scientific concept- INTIMA-International Neurosurgery Twinning Initiative Modelled for Africa. From the first Mission in 2019 in Enugu Nigeria, SANC has so far donated equipment and conducted multiple free neurosurgical missions in 5 countries across West Africa (Nigeria Twice, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia). Another mission has been planned for the Gambia in 2025.  

    As a founding member of SANC and African Representative to the SANC Board, my role is to align the objectives, plans and operational activities of SANC for the maximum benefit of collaborating African locations, bringing nuances and contextual considerations to the mainstream of mission project plan and implementation thereby helping missions meet expected outcomes. The overwhelming success garnered from SANC missions’ is the result of the horizontal bidirectional partnership based on mutual trust and tandem growth as well as the power balance between the collaborating partners who commit to building progressive autonomy among African neurosurgical units. From Enugu, Nigeria to Banjul, the Gambia, evidence abounds on the significant contributions and practice changing effects of the application of SANCs model of Global Neurosurgery with validation and scientific proof across multiple locations. A focus on capacity building, leveraging partnerships with neurosurgical and neurosurgical nursing professional associations and support units such as biomedical, bequeaths SANC with a very formidable tool to comprehensively address the stout challenges of African neurosurgery and move the needle of access to neurosurgical care by a mileage. SANC’s example therefore serves as a proven and readily available resource for units and organizations wishing to commence beneficial and sustainable global neurosurgery collaborations with neurosurgeons and hospitals on the African continent.

Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche

Collaborating Organizations

The Edward Francis Small
teaching Hospital

WANNN – West Africa
Neuro Nurses Network

Ridge Hospital
Accra Ghana

Partner Companies

Sierra leone:
Advancing Pediatric Neurosurgery Together

West African College of Surgeons (WACS) invited three neurosurgeons to participate in a neurosurgical outreach in Sierra Leone. This was said to be specially important  for the local organizing committee due to patient need and lack of neurosurgical facilities. The mission was focused on pediatric cases performed with general instruments and using loupe vision assistance.